Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) Receipting Requirement Change

Effective January 5, 2025, School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in U.S. Department of Agriculture Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh) are required to receipt in Web Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) within two business days of receipt of USDA Foods (previously five business days) before a receipt is considered past due. As before, if past due receipt(s) exist, ordering will be locked until past due receipt(s) are processed. Receipts will continue to remain on the Edit Receipts screen for seven days after receipt of USDA Foods.

If you have any questions, please ask your FFAVORS account representative or email the FFAVORS help desk.

New Resource Management Resources

New resources are now available on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Meal Pricing and Non-Program Foods webpage to assist SFAs in financial management of the SNPs.

• Ensuring Financial Compliance for Nonprogram Foods – Provides guidance for nonprogram food revenue requirement compliance and considerations for pricing nonprogram foods.

• Nonprogram Food Pricing Tool – Sample calculator used to determine pricing of nonprogram foods according to a fixed food cost percentage markup.

• Nonprogram Food Cost Percentage Pricing Tool – Sample calculator used to determine pricing of nonprogram foods by trialing different food cost percentages.

• Nonprogram Food Revenue Calculator – Calculator that assesses compliance with the nonprogram food revenue requirement.

• School Meals Policy and Sample Language – This document provides an overview of the required school meals policy along with sample policy language.

Required School Meals Policy Including Unpaid Meal Charges, Delinquent Debt and Uncollectable Foodservice Debt

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.111, subdivision 1 requires all schools in Minnesota that participate in the SNP to adopt a school meals policy. The policy must, at minimum, meet the requirements outlined in the statute language—including how unpaid meal debt will be collected—and can contain additional language to address other local situations. For an overview of the required school meals policy and sample policy language, refer to the School Meals Policy and Sample Language resource located on the Meal Pricing and Non-Program Foods webpage of the MDE website.

Additional resources to assist a school in developing its locally-controlled School Meals Policy:

• Classification of Meal Service Debt: Unpaid meal charges are considered “delinquent debt” when payment is overdue as defined by local policies. Read more about meal service debt classification: SP 47-2016 Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on collection of delinquent meal payments.

• Recordkeeping Requirements for Bad Debt: Refer to School Business Bulletin No. 68 – June 2021 for specific guidance and scenarios regarding accounting for food service delinquent and uncollectable meal accounts.

• Collections for Bad Foodservice Debt: Prior to sending uncollectible food service accounts to collections, the SFA should determine, based on school board policy, which accounts should be written off as uncollectible. See Scenario 2 in School Business Bulletin No. 68 – June 2021 for the journal entry to write off uncollectible accounts.

For assistance with compliance and regulation, contact MDE – Nutrition Program Services (mde.fns@state.mn.us). For assistance with accounting, contact The Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards (UFARS) Accounting Helpdesk (MDE.UFARS-Accounting@state.mn.us).

Say Yes! to School Meals Photo Contest

MDE is excited to announce the second annual Say Yes! to Schools Photo Contest. The contest is intended to celebrate and showcase the delicious and unique meals that Minnesota schools are serving. Each School Food Authority may submit one breakfast photo and one lunch photo. The contest period runs January 6–February 10, 2025. All entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. on February 10. View the contest details on the Team Nutrition webpage and view examples from last year's photo contest.